Filling-replenishing loom.



PATENTBD DEC. 13, 1904.

B. CROSSLEY,

FILLING REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1903.

2 SHEETS-$HEET 1..

NO MODEL.

Inventor mfitnemes Bernard flfissley No. 777,276. PATENTBD DEC. 18,1904.

B. UROSSLEY.

FILLING REPLENISHING- LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1903.

N0 MODEL. v ZSJIEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor Bernard G'rossIey I UNITED STATES Patented December 13, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD CROSSLEY, BURNLEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BURNLEY AUTOMATIC LOOM,LIMITED, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, A COR- PORATION.

FILLlNG-REFLENISHING LOOIVI.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 777,276, dated December13, 1904.

Application filed February 1'7, 1903. Serial Nol43,752. (N0 model.)

To all whom it mrlty concern.-

Be it known that I, BERNARD Cnossner, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident of Burnley, in the county of Lancaster, England,have invented new and useful Improvements in Filling-ReplenishingLooms,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to filling-replenishing looms; and it consistsin. an improved motion or arrangement and combination of mechanism forproviding the running shuttle at the proper time with a fresh supply offilling or weft, a suitable hopper containing a supply of filling casesor shells, hereinafter called shells, which are transferred one by oneto the shuttle by being inserted into the same at the bottom sidethereof, the spent filling-shell being ejected therebyfrom the top sideof the shuttle. 'The change is brought about by the action of thefilling-fork when the filling in the shed is absent in consequence ofbreakage or exhaustion'of the filling and by the forward movement of theslay.

()n the drawings appended hereunto the improved motion or mechanism isrepresented, only such parts of the loom being shown as relate to thesaid motion.

Figure 1 shows a transverse section of the shuttle-box and of the hopperwith the movable parts in the positions they normally occupy while theweaving proceeds, the slay and hopper being shown on this figure in thepositions they occupy relatively to one another when the slay isapproaching the end of its forward movement. Fig. 2 is a similar sectionof the hopper with the movable parts in the positions they occupy whenthe change of filling-shell is to be effected. Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig.1 with the shuttle-box sectioned on line and of the hopper sectioned online y fl] with the shuttle and shells removed; Fig. 4c, a back view ofthe shell-ejector; Fig. 5, a side view of the hopper and actuatingdevcrsas seen from the driving end of the loom, and Fig. 6 a front view of thesame. Fig. 7 is a front view, and Fig. 8 a side view, of the driving endof the loom.

For the purpose of carrying out this invention the filling-cops areinclosed in cylindrical cases 1, Figs. 1 and 2, and the shuttle 2,

Fig. 1, has a through-slot from the top to the bottom and is concave onone side of the slot and fitted with a spring 3 on the other sideadapted to hold a shell in the shuttle while the weaving proceeds andallow it to be pushed in and out.

The shuttle-box bottoinet at that side of the loom which is opposite tothe driving side is formed with a slot 4 of such a size that the shellscan easily pass through the same, and this slot is continued in a curvedform through the slay-bottom 5 to the front thereof, the slot beingformed by the lower side or cheek 6 and the upper check 7, the two fiatsprings 8, attached to it, forming a continuation of the latter. Theslot is of such length thatit will contain a definite number of[illing-shells-say three. In front of the slay two carriers 9 are formedon the lower cheek 6, adapted to support in front of the others a fourthshell, hereinafter called front shell 1, the carriers being formedconcave for the shell to rest in the cavities and the springs 8 holdingit in the cavities. The carriers 9 are formed with inclined ends 10 infront and curved below, as shown on the drawings. There are two guards11 cast to the upper cheek to prevent a shell that is pushed up theinclines from rising too high. The top shell 1 in the slot next to theshuttle is prevented by two curved springs 12, fixed in recesses of thebottom check 6, from rising out of the slot while the slay is beatingbackward and forward, so that the four shells on the slay are securelyheld in their positions. As with this arrangement the loompicker (notshown on the drawings) cannot have a foot, it is guided by means of twopicker-spindles 13.

Opposite to the slot in the shuttle-box and slay-bottom a hopper H.adapted to contain a number of iilling-shells, is arranged and fixed tothe loom side 14 or the breast-beam 15. On the drawings it is shown witha foot 16 and fixed to the loom side. This hopper is open at the top andbottom and has also at the outer end 17 a narrower opening for the endsof the filling-yarn, which are threaded through one end of eachfilling-shell and lapped onto a fixed wire 18 in the usual manner topass through. The reserve shells 1 contained in the hopper are Supportedby a tray or tipper 21, which is cast in one with bars 22, passing roundthe front of the hopper and having at right angles thereto fiat extensions 23 24, extending outside the front 28 of the hopper toward theback. These extensions are mounted on studs 25 26, screwed into the endsof the hopper H, so that the tray 21 can rock on these studs. The middleof the lower part of the back of the hopper is cut out for the tray; butthe parts 27, left standing at the ends, are continued below the tray,as shown on Figs. 1 and 2. The upper part of the front 28 of the hopperis similarly cut out to allow the shells contained in the hopper to beseen.

Formed in one piece with the tray 21 and bars 22 are two horns 29 ofcurved or crescent shape, which when the tray 21 is in the positionrepresented by Fig. 1 are in front of the row of shells, but which whenthe tray is turned down into the position shown by Fig. 2 are movedforward and prevent more than one shell from following the tray and holdup the remainder, as shown on Fig. 2. The extension 23 of the bars 22,supporting the tray, has a pin 30 formed or fixed on it, by means ofwhich the tray and horns are turned when required from the positionshown on Fig. 1 into that shown on Fig.2 and back again in the mannerhereinafter described.

Below the bottom of the hopper-back 27 two shell-holders 31 are arrangedand are adapted to rock on studs 32 fixed in the ends of thehopper-front. The holders 31 have levers 34 formed in one with them,which are pulled, by means of springs 36 37, attached to them and to anyconvenient fixed pin on the hopper or loom side, in sucha direction asto hold up the holders 31 in the position shown on Figs. 1 and 2 againstthe bottom edge of the cross-rail 38, which is connected to the front ofthe hopper by the webs 39 40, these being cut out, as shown on Figs. 1,2, and 5, to clear the bars 22. At their ends the holders 31 have risingprojections 32 and at the side curved lugs 33, which lie in the path ofthe curved under side of the carriers 9.

On a shaft 41, extending from one loom side to the other, supported inany convenient way, a lever 42, Figs. 7 and 8, is fixed, which carriesthe filling-fork holder 43. Near to the hopper another lever 44 is fixedupon this shaft and formed with a slot into which the pin 30 engages. Ifthe filling fails While the loom is working, the filling-fork holder43'is carried forward in the usual way, thereby turning the lever 42 andshaft 41 toward the front. The lever 44 is thereby also turned towardthe front and moves the pin 30 in the same direction. The bars 22, withtray 21 and horns 29, are thereby turned from the position representedby Fig. 1 into that represented by Fig. 2. The bottom shell 1, that wasresting on the tray 21, is thereby allowed to drop down upon the holders31, being prevented from rolling off by the projections 32 and the parts27 of the back of the hopper. In this position this shell is in the pathof the front shell 1*, held by the carriers 9 on the slay as the latterbeats up, the slay moving toward the hopper so far that when there is noshell dropped upon the holders 31 and the weaving proceeds the frontshell 1*, held by the carriers 9, is brought near to the cross-rail 38.

As the shell 1 on the holders 31 is backed by the turned-down tray 21,which is resting against the cross-rail 38, it pushes the front shell 1,resting on carriers 9, into the slot, while itself mounts up theinclines 10 of the carriers 9, raising the springs 8 as it does so tillit gets into the cavities of the carriers and is held therein by thesprings 8, thus replacing the previous front shell. The latter beingpushed into the slot pushes the top shell 1 contained therein into theshuttle 2 and pushes the shell that was in the shuttle out of the same.

To the back of the hopper brackets 45 are fixed, supporting a spindle onwhich is fixed a pushing-lever or ejector 46, carrying at its end abroad blade 47 Fig. 4, with two projecting parts 48, which while theloom is working normally pass just over the shuttle, notches 49 beingcut out of the shuttle-box front 50 to allow them to do so. The otherend of the spindle 50 carries a lever 51, pulled downward by a spring 52upon a stop-pin 53, whereby the ejector 46 is held in its position. Whenashell is being pushed out of the shuttle in the manner aforesaid, theejector encounters it as it rises and is pushed back by it, whereby thespring is extended. When the shell has risen so far out of the shuttleas to be free of the same, the spring pulls the ejector back to itsoriginal position, and the shell is thereby jerked into the mouth of achute 70, fixed to the shuttle-box back above the shuttle, through whichchute the shell is guided into a receptacle placed on the fioor at theside of the loom. As the new shell has to be pushed into the center ofthe shuttle, the shell below it must be pushed up above the shuttleboxbottom 4, and as the shuttle has more play or clearance at the inner endof the guides arranged for it, as usual, on the front 50 and back 68 ofthe shuttle-box, and consequently lifts a little at that end as the newshell is pushed into it, the shell underneath it must be pushed up alittle higher at the inner end of the shuttle-box than at the outer end.This is effected by making the tray 21 thicker at this end, as shown byFig. 3, which causes the front shell to be pushed farther in and the topshell 1 farther out of the slot at the inner end than at the outer end.The shells are brought down again into the positions they must occupywhile weaving by the springs 8 and 12, respectively. The lugs 33 on, thel holders 31 are during the forward movement of the slay encountered bythe curved under sides of the carriers 9, and the holders are therebyturned downward till the projections 32 at their ends are clear of thebottom of theshell held by the carriers 9, so that they do not rubagainst the shell while the loom is weaving and allow the slay after thechange has been made to retire and carry back with it the shelltransferred. from the holders 31 to the carriers 9. The shells containedin the hopper are thus transferred successively to the carriers 9, andthereby cause the respective top shell in the slot to be pushed into theshuttle and the used-up shell to be ejected.

If the loom is constructed as shown and described, it stops when thefilling breaks or gives out, while there is only one shell left in thehopper at the time of breakage. The stop-motion and the filling-changemotion in that case act simultaneously, as described, a freshfilling-case is pushed into the shuttle,and at the same time the loom isstopped. This is effected by the following mechanism:

At the inner end of the hopper a feeler 53 is pivoted on a bracket andhas a projecting edge 54, which through a slot 55 in the hopper canenter into it. This edge rests against the end of the secondfilling-shell in the hop per, but can swing freely over the lowest shellresting on the tray 21. To this feeler an arm 56 is fixed, carrying awire 69, which holds up the latch 57 as long as there are more than oneshell in the hopper. The latch is hinged to one prong of the forkedlever 58 and guided in aslot in the other prong. This lever is fixedupon a tube 59, carried by the shaft -11, or is mounted upon anequivalent shaft. Near to the driving side of the loom another lever,60, Figs. 7 and 8, is fixed upon the tube, and a pin 61, fixed to theend of this lever, extends underneath a hinged linger 62, carried by theloom-starting lever or handle 63. As long as there are two shells leftin the hopper the feeler and latch remain in the positions shown byFigs. 5 and 6 when a shell is ejected from and replaced by another inthe shuttle as the lever 44 passes clear under the latch 57 but whenonly one shell is left in the hopper the feeler swings inward into thehopper and the arm 56 allows the latch 57 to drop in the slot and belowthe end of the lever 44, so that when this lever is turned toward thefront on the next failure of the weft it car- .ries the lever 58 withit. Thereby the tube 59 is turned and the pin 61 is raised and in itsturn raises the finger 62, which is then encountered by a plate 64,fixed to the front of the slay opposite to the linger and pushed to thefront, whereby the loom-handle is pushed out of the notch in the plate65 retaining it it: First, the lilling may break and shifts the strapfrom the fast pulley 66 onto the loose pulley 67 in the usual manner andstops the loom. The weaver can then start the loom before refilling thehopper, as a full filling-shell is in the shuttle and the parts operatedby the filling-fork will have returned to their normal position on itsrelease. This saves the time lost with other filling-replenishing loomshaving a stop-inotion that only acts if the filling fails after thehopper has been completely emptied, as in such case no freshfilling-shell is inserted into the shuttle and one shell at least mustbe filled into the hopper before the loom can be restarted for thepurpose of replacingthe spent shell in the shuttle by a fresh one. Onthe other hand, this loom can be restarted at once, and if the fillingshould fail again while there is no shell in the hopper the stop-motionwill come into action again, because the feeler 53 remains swung inwardand the latch 57 dropped below the end of the lever 4A, so that on thefilling-fork holder and lover 41 i being turned forward these parts actas described and stop the loom again. This arrangement allows this loomto be used as an ordinary loom without SBlf-IGDlODlSl'llfig action bysi1nply leaving the hopper empty, the loom stopping on the failure ofthe filling as an ordinary loom, when the weaver would have to changethe shuttle, as usual, with ordinary looms. On the other hand, if theloom is used as a self-acting lillbig-replenishing loom the followingthree cases may occur on restarting while the hopper is still empty. Thestop-motion then acts and stops the loom as the feeler 53 is still swunginward. In that case one shell at least must be placed into the hopperbefore restarting it a second time. The change-motion will then comeinto action after the first two picks and the shell will be transferredfrom the hopper to the carrier 9, thereby ejecting the shell with brokenfilling and replacing it by a fresh one, and the loom will be stoppedagain at the same time and can be restarted at once. Secondly, thefilling breaks while only one shell has been placed into the hopper, thechange and stop motion then act simultaneously, as described, and theloom can be restarted at once while the hopper is being refilled.'lhirdly, the lilling does not break until two or more shells have beenplaced into the hopper. The shell-changing motion then will act normallywithout stopping the loom.

Obviously the arrangement of hopper and tray may be varied and replacedby equivalent arrangements without departing from the nature of myinvention, which consists in effecting the change of the filling on itsfailure in the shed by placing a filling-shell in a stationary positioninto the path of another shell held on carriers in front of a curvedslot in the slay-bottom, so that this shell is pushed into the slot bythe former as the slay heats up and by means of other shells in thepushes the topmost of these into the shuttle,

and thereby ejects the spent filling-shell.

ICO

slot

I claim as my invention 1. In a loom, a slay having a curved slotextending from and through the bottom of the off-side shuttle-box to thefront of the slay-bottom and adapted to hold three cylindricalfilling-shells, carriers attached to the front of the slay adapted tosupport a fourth fillingshell in front of the others, and springsadapted to secure said shells in their positions.

2. In a loom, a slay having a curved slot extending from and through thebottom of the off-side shuttle-box to the front of the slay-bottom andadapted to hold three filling-shells, carriers attached to the front ofthe slay adapted to support a fourth filling-shell in front of theothers, springs adapted to secure said shells in their position, andmeans operative upon failure of the filling in the shed and adapted toplace a fifth shell into the path of the said fourth shell and hold itin this position while the slay beats up, and to push the said fourthshell into the slot and the top shell into a slotted shuttle.

3. In a loom, a slay having a curved slot extending from and through thebottom of one shuttle-box to the front of the slay and adapted to holdseveral filling-shells, carriers attached to the front of the slayadapted to support a shell in front of the shells in the slot, springsadapted to hold said shells in their position, means operative on thefailure of the filling in the shed and adapted to place another shellinto the path of the shell on the carriers and hold it in this positionwhile the slay beats up and pushes the other shell onto the saidcarriers and the top shell in the slot into the loom-shuttle from below,and an ejector held in position by a spring and adapted to push the usedfilling-shell emerging from the top of the shuttle into a chute.

4. In a loom, a hopper adapted to contain a number of reservefilling-shells, said hopper being fixed onto the loom-frame in front ofone of the shuttle-boxes and open at the top and bottom, a tray adaptedto support the shells in the hopper, pivoted holders extendingunderneath the hopper and adapted to support a filling-shell, springsadapted to keep said holders normally in a horizontal position, meansoperative on the failure of the filling adapted to turn said tray into avertical position, and horns connected to said tray adapted to passbelow the second shell in the hopper when said tray is turned tovertical position.

5. Ina loom, a hopper mounted on a loomframe in front of one of theshuttle-boxes and open on top and bottom, and adapted to hold aplurality of reserve filling-shells, a pivoted tray at the bottom ofsaid hopper adapted to support said shells, pivoted holders beneath saidtray and held resiliently in a horizontal position, a rock-shaft, alever mounted on said rock-shaft, a filling-fork carried on said lever,a second lever fixed on said rock-shaft and adjacent to the hopper, aconnection between said last-named lever and said tray whereby said trayis turned into a vertical position when the filling-fork is moved towardthe front on the failure of the filling in the shed, and projections onsaid tray adapted to pass between the bottom shell in the hopper and theone next above when said tray is turned to vertical position.

6. In a loom, a slay having a curved slot extending through and from thebottom of one shuttle-box to the front of the slay-bottom and adapted tohold several filling-shells, carriers attached to the front of the slayadapted to support a shell in front of the shells in the slot, springsadapted to hold said shells in their position, a hopper mounted on theloomframe and adapted to contain a number of reserve filling-shells,said hopper being in front of said shuttle-box and open at the top andbottom, a pivoted tray adapted to support the shells in the hopper,pivoted holders extendingunderneath the hopper and normally held in ahorizontal posit-ion by springs and adapt ed to support a shell in thepath of the shell on said carriers, means operative on the failure ofthe filling in the shed adapted to turn said tray into a verticalposition, and horns attached to said tray and adapted to pass under thesecond shell in the hopper when the tray is turned to vertical position.

7. In aloom, the combination of a slay having a curved slot extendingthrough and from the bottom of the shuttle-box to the front of theslay-bottom and adapted to hold a plurality of filling-shells, carriersattached to the front of the slay and adapted to support an additionalshell in front of the others; springs cooperating with said carriers tohold said additional shells in position thereon, a hopper fixed to theloom-frame in front of said shuttle-box and adapted to contain reserveshells, said hopper being open at the bottom, a pivoted tray beneath theopen bottom of said hopper and adapted to support the shells therein andto permit one shell at a time to pass it when oscillated, holdersextending beneath said tray and resiliently supported in horizontalposition and adapted to receive the bottom shell in said hopper andsupport the same in the path of the shell carried by said carriers, arock-shaft, a filling-fork mounted on said rock-shaft and adapted tooscillate the same on the failure of the filling in the shed, a leverfixed on said rock-shaft adjacent to the hopper, and a connectionbetween said 1ever and said tray whereby the latter is turned tovertical position on the operation of the filling-fork as above said.

8. In a filling-replenishing loom, the combination of a hopper adaptedto contain a number of filling-shells, a feeler-arm pivoted at one sideof the hopper and adapted to rest against a shell at or near the bottomof the hopper, a rock-shaft, a filling-fork mounted on said rock-shaftand adapted to oscillate the same on the failure of the filling in theshed, a rock-lever mounted on said rock-shaft and oscillated by saidlilling-fork, a second lever carrying a latch adapted to oscillate inthe path of said rock-lever, a connection between said feeler-arin andsaid latch whereby it is held normally out of the path of said rockleverand dropped in the path thereof when there is no longer a shell in thehopper supporting said feeler-arm, a trip mounted on part of thestopping mechanism of the loom and adapted to oscillate into the path ofthe slay, and a connection between said trip and said second lever foroscillating it into the path of the slay when said second lever isoscillated in the manner aforesaid.

9. In a loom, the combination of aslayhaving a curved slot extendingthrough and from the bottom of the shuttle-box to the front of theslay-bottom and adapted to hold a plurality of filling-shells, carriersattached to the front of the slay and adapted to support an additionalshell in front of the others; springs cooperating with said carriers tohold said additional shell in position thereon, a hopper fixed to theloo1n-frame in front of said shuttle-box and adapted to contain re.

serve shells, said hopper being open at the bottom, a pivoted traybeneath the open bottom of said hopper and adapted to support the shellstherein to permit one shell at a time to pass it when oscillated,holders extending beneath said tray and resiliently sup ported inhorizontal position and adapted to receive the bottom shell in saidhopper and support the same in the path of the shell carried by saidcarriers, a rock-shaft, a fillingfork mounted on said rock-shaft andadapted to oscillate the same on the failure of the filling in the shed,a lever fixed on said rockshaft adjacent to the" hopper and connectedwith said tray to oscillate it, a feeler fulcrumed on the side of thehopper and adapt ed to rest against one of the shells therein and toswing inward when said shell is absent,

and means actuated by the inward movement of said feeler for stoppingthe loom.

10. Inaloom, the combination of aslayhaving a shuttle-box and a slotleading from said shuttle-box to the exterior of said slay and adaptedto receive filling-shells, said slot be ing opposite an opening in theshuttle whereby shells may be successively pushed into said shuttle fromsaid slot, and carriers projecting at the outer side of said slot andadapted to resiliently support a filling-shell at the opening of saidslot.

11. In a 100m, the combination of a slay having a shuttle-box and a slotleading from said shuttle-box to the exterior of said slay and adaptedto receive filling-shells, said slot being opposite the opening in theshuttle where by said shells may be successively pushed into saidshuttle from said slot, carriers projecting at the outer side of saidslot and adapted to resiliently support a filling-shell at the open ingof said slot, said carriers being sligl'ltly dished or concaved, andsprings cooperating with said carriers to hold a filling-shell in theconcavities thereof.

12. In a loom, the combination of a slay having a shuttle-box and a slotleading fromsaid shuttle-box to the exterior of said slay and adapted tocontain filling-shells, said slot being opposite an opening in theshuttle where by said shells may be successively pushed into, saidshuttle from said slot, mechanism fixed. to the frame of the loom at thefront of said slayand adapted to deliver filling-shells one by one intosaid slot, thereby simultaneously pushing a filling-shell into theshuttle and pushing out the spent filling-shell in said shuttle.

13. In a loom, the combination of a slay having a shuttle-box and a slotleading from said shuttle-box to the exterior of said slay and adaptedto receive filling-shells, said slot being opposite an opening in theshuttle whereby said shells may be successively pushed into said shuttlefrom said slot, carriers projecting at the outer side of said slot andadapted to resiliently support a tilling-shell at the opening of saidslot, and holders mounted on the loom-frame in front of said slay andthe slot thereof and adapted to support a fillingshell and deliver it tosaid carriers at the forward movement of said slay.

14:. In a loom, the combination of a slay having a shuttle-box and aslot leading from said shuttle-box to the exterior of said slay andadapted to receive filling-shells, said slot being opposite an openingin the shuttle whereby said shells may be successively pushed into saidshuttle from said slot, carriers projecting at the outer side of saidslot and adapted to resiliently support a filling-shell at the openingof said slot, holders mounted on the loom-frame in front of said slayand the slot thereof and adapted to support a filling-shell and deliverit to said carriers at the forward movement of said slay, a receptaclefor reserve shells, and mechanism operated by the failure of the weftfor delivering a shell from said receptacle to said holders.

15. In a loom, the combination of a slay having a shuttle-box and a slotin said slay leading from said shuttle-box to the front side thereof andadapted to contain filling-shells which are successively pushed into aslot in the shuttle, and means for pushing a shell into a said slot onthe forward motion of said slay operated by the failure of the weft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo witnesses.

BERNARD UROSSLEY Witnesses:

CARL BoLLn, ROBERT A. (loLLINen,

